Castle - tower house

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a rock outcrop plinth (dims c. 30m N-S; c. 15m E-W; max. H 1.3-2m) that rises from a gentle S-facing slope on the floor of Glencar valley, with a small N-S stream just to the E. There is a reference to the capture and destruction of the O'Rourke castle of Car (Caisleán an Chairthe) in 1487 (AFM), which records the earliest use of guns in Ireland (McGivney 1932, 17-18; Hayes-McCoy 1938-9, 47). It was destroyed again in 1536 (McDermott 2019, 109-11, and in 1621-2 Tiernan Mac Owen O'Rourke received a grant of 1500 acres as the Manor of Carra (Mac an Ghalloglaigh 1971, 241, 254) and he may have refurbished the castle.

This is a rectangular three-storey structure (ext. dims 13.4m E-W; 9.5m N-S; int. dims 9m E-W; 5.35m N-S) of which only the W gable and adjacent parts of the N and S walls survive. It is built of randomly coursed limestone masonry with dressed quoins, which are largely robbed, and a base-batter, but it lacks a barrel vault and all the windows on the upper floors appear to be inserted. The joists for the upper floors are set directly into the N and S walls. The W wall has a centrally located fireplace flanked by robbed single lights at the ground floor, with a light (Wth 0.07m; H 0.36m) of dressed stone that has a gun-loop beneath it in the S wall. There is an inserted two-light window with square hood-mouldings in the W wall at the first and second floors, with evidence of a fireplace in the N wall and a window embrasure in the S wall at the first floor. (Connellan 1946, 34-5)

See the attached view taken from the W.

The above description is derived from 'The Archaeological Inventory of County Leitrim' compiled by Michael J. Moore (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2003). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Date of upload: 23 September 2008

References

Connellan, Rev. M.J. 1946 The Tuatha of Brefny O'Roirk elucidated. Journal of the Ardagh and Clonmacnoise Archaeological Society 2 (11), 26-36.

AFM - Annals of the kingdom of Ireland by the Four Masters from the earliest period to the year 1616, ed. and trans. John O'Donovan (7 vols., Dublin, 1851; reprint New York, 1966)

Hayes-McCoy, G.A. 1938-9 The early history of guns in Ireland. Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society 18, 43-65.

Mac an Ghalloglaigh, an t-Athair D. 1971 Leitrim 1600-1641. Journal of Cumann Seanchas Breifne (Breifne Historical Society) 4 (14), 225-54.

McGivney, Rev. J. 1932 Explanations. Journal of the Ardagh and Clonmacnoise Archaeological Society 1(3), 17-19.

McDermott, J. J. 2019 Late medieval strongholds of the Gaelic Irish in County Leitrim. in In Kelly, L. and Scott, B. Leitrim: History and Society, 103-27. Dublin, Geography Publications